The "Churchill" began life as a 1939 requirement that envisaged a return to trench-warfare, and was therefore slow and heavily armored like the Russian KV-1 series. That said, the final Churchill prototype was much lighter than had first been thought acceptable, although it still resembled a World War I tank in appearance. Rushed into production at a time when a cross-channel invasion seemed imminent, it suffered early reliability problems and was not fully introduced until 1943. Early combat experience during the ill-fated Dieppe raid in 1942 was disappointing, but the vehicle proved more mobile in the rough terrain of North Africa. The tank excelled in its specialized variants, which include the AVRE, Crocodile flamethrower tank, bridgelayer and more. In fact, it wasn't until the 1960s that the last Churchill was finally retired.

Dragon Armor is offering a fantastic 1/72 scale rendition of the Churchill Mk IV. The accurate miniature model depicts a tank from A Squadron of the North Irish Horse serving in Tunisia in 1943. The North Irish Horse of the British Army landed in Algiers in February 1943 as part of Operation Torch. One of the famous battles was when the units Churchills climbed unscalable heights at Djebel Rhar and helped overcome Afrika Korps troops there. The models finished in an unusual, but typical of the period, coat of khaki brown paint. This color was known officially as Standard Camouflage Colour 2 (S.C.C. No.2) and the vehicle still carries its ship movement stencils. For modelers wishing to strengthen their British tank regiments, this North African Churchill is a must-have item! Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-inches
Width: 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: December 2012

Historical Account: "The One Man Regiment" - The North Irish Horse was a yeomanry unit of the British Territorial Army raised in the northern counties of Ireland in the aftermath of the Second Boer War. Raised and patronized by the nobility from their inception to the present day, they were the first non-regular unit to be deployed to France and the Low Counties with the British Expeditionary Force in 1914 and fought with distinction both as mounted troops and later as a Cyclist Regiment, achieving 18 battle honors. They were reduced to a single man in the inter war years and re-raised for World War II where they achieved their greatest distinctions in the North African and Italian campaigns. Reduced again after the Cold War the regiments name still exists in B (North Irish Horse) Squadron the Queen's Own Yeomanry.

On February 2nd, 1943, the North Irish Horse landed in Algiers and marched seventeen miles on foot to their new camp.

Their first job was to create a defensive force around Le Kef. The regiment was not up to strength at this time as many of its tanks and equipment had been delayed by logistical difficulties. They were ordered to leave Le Kef at speed to counter a stroke by elements of the German 10th Panzer Division and made best speed with all 27 available tanks towards Bja, some 90 miles away - one of the longest "on track" journeys ever made by Churchill tanks. In the ensuing 60 hour action the Horse took their first casualties of the war and lost a number of tanks to enemy artillery and direct tank-on-tank actions. They also received their first decoration with Captain Griffith being awarded the Military Cross.